New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-06-13
ARBITRARY TORY TACTICS.
NOW AT POPULAR GOVERNMENT.
-.,,vcvpENTEp SINCE THE DAYS OF THE sToA"i'
Will. THE IRISH MEMBERS BE sUs-
PENDED IN A BODY ON FRIDAYf
Y lot IRIRITNEI


PENDED IN BODY ON FRIDAY
Try CABLE TO THE TRIBUNEi
-, ,ss7. North american cable Neus GO.
o~ June IA few weeks ago Coie-
-.onhoa a forecast OF the Parliamentary siVua.'n'
hioh T believe was considered by some people 70
w. rother extravagant. will, Therefore be pardoheu
W W., ,ybat did saw in view of what happenoi
- parliament on Friday night. l sald' 1or one
INC ~ that the Tory Government would, within a
s,v weeks, in order to get their coercion on'
~ asort IN measures SO violent and arbitrary
-, ,o find a parallel in the history OF the House
" Tommons one should 20 ba.k to the days when
- charles violated it's privileges, or when
,.--.,,o,,,s troopers bundled out the Rump OF the
!, anc par,;amclt with the fats Of their swords.
- 10 curious that Mr.. Parnell on Friday night
- o,most similar language to describe Mr..
useu ,,ryo,cv resolution "Thc First Lord Of
,ho Treasury he said. proposes to set up the
most braun tyranny ever practised In this House
.inoa King Charles entered it to seek the hVe
members .,
I pojnted out two courses, one OF which, L saiu'
the Government was bound to pursue. 1he urgency
motion. moved by Mr.. Smith on Friday nlght ana
..,,;od Yesterday morning with the aid of the
cosure was one Of these, with this difference tha0
The alternative has been followed to far more
further stated that the Government. in expectation
~ desporate resistance to their proposal, had
ordered Milbank Prison to be got ready for the re-
ceptiou of members of Parliament; and for this
statement had an authority which put doubt out
of the question. The cells are still ready; and II
they were not filled with hish members ON Friday
night and are not to be filed by them next Friday
night. that is because irish members have not
chosen TO act 50 as TO give the opportunity Tor
inprlsonine them
Mr. Smiths motion provides that on Friday
night the Coercion bill shall be reported nom
romm,tee, no matter what progress 1t has made
AT 10 o'clock that night all remaining clauses and
amendments are 70 be put forthwith, Without oe-
bate. Never wes there more violent motion nladc
in a legislative assembly. The urgency resolution
of 1882, adopted at time when there was no way
OF closing debate and when the rules OF The House
permitted unlimited obstruction, bears no analogy
10 it. That required that a bin should first be
voted urgent and that it could not be voted urgent
ucept by a majority of three to one, and also that
q majority of three to one was necessary to carry
summaIily each remaining amendment and clause
80 perilous an interference with the liberty OF
Parliament did its trainers conceive it to be, that
they only asked power to use it when the had 'he
all but unanimous support OF the House.
1he I0ly 1eSoluuon gives power W q D"iS
majority to take a bill out of the hands of the
House at any moment it likes to name, to declare
that it shall no longer be discussed and to pass it
into law, with the voice Of the minority stilled
wholesale 1t is a precedent which strikes at the
very life Of Parliament. What is worse. it is
precedent which viii be followed with increasing
despotism by each patty that succeeds to power
after suffering from its application while minority
II bare majority is to be entitled to say when 1t
peases that all criticism on one Of its bills shall
end what is the use of parliamentary criticism al
all and what is to prevent time coming when
bare majority shall insist passing its bills into
law like Draconian edicts, no one having the right
to lift voice against themp
regard this urgency resolution as the beginning
OF new struggle of the British Parliament for its
life, the tyrant now not beng king but bare
majority. VIII this violent proceeding help TO
PASS the Coercion bin more quickly than 1t other
wise would have passed? Not at all. Mr.. Par
ncll's of Tuesday night, explained in my last
dispatch, struck away the element of prolonged
opposition What is more, to pass the bill
quickly is not the Governments desire. Why then
this anxiety for violence? The reason is three
fold The Tory party want to keep doing nothing
rs long as possible, and they want to manage so
to throw the blame on the Irish party by accus-
Ing them of obstruction, and, thirdly, they want
to lower the House of Commons at the expense Of
the House of Lords.
1hey want to keep doing nothing because Tories
In power always do and because they have no
policy but Coercion. Their anxiety to have the
session wasted was strikingy illustrated on Thurs
day night. Mr.. Balfour agreed to drop from the
Coercion bill the obnoxious section providing for
the trial of Irish prisoners In England in certain
cases, and announced that he would substitute
instead provision establishing tribunal of three
Judges to deal with such cases but instead Of
moving this provision q new clause to the present
bill, proceeding which would only take a couple
of hours or ton minutes II they liked to apply the
closure, he declared that he would moge 1t as a
bill when this bill was passed so that 1t will
have to go through all It's stages of first read
ins. second reading. committee report third read
ing and consideration Of the Lords amendments
taking a week for every hour 1t need otherwise
have occupied, and making two Coercion bills
instead of one.
The Tories want to get up the cry of obstruction
because it is a good way of tanning anti-Irish
prejudice, aln the best Ian TO give the idea that
obstruction Is going on is to adopt sensational
measures and provoke violent scenes Mr. ParneI
saw all this hence his announcement on Tuesday
that factious opposition to the bill would cease
This checlSmated the Tories for a moment but they
were determined not to be done out Of their
sensation scheme. Hence Mr.. Smiths motion.
As for desire Of the Tories to degrade the popular
assembly. any one who studies the signs Of the
times. particularly indicated in the
speeches Of the Tory leaders, will have
seen that the classes in this country are
girding themselves for a great struggle against
the rising tide Of democracy, and to begin with.
are bent on striking blow at the great seat Of
democratic power, the House of Commons. Lord
Salisbury never spares a sneer at the Lower House
and at representative institutions in general which
he declares are played out Mr.. Smiths motion
Is only one sample Of many of the things Lord
sailsb'rys majority in the Lower House are pre-
pared TO do against its liberties, its traditions,
Ms honor and its power.